Requiem of a Snow Covered World
by Xayden
Summary: When Fugaku and a young Itachi Uchiha stumble across a young Yuki boy near the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Fugaku sees him as nothing more than a tool while Itachi cannot help but feel drawn to the boy for some reason. How will his presence in the story affect the young Uchiha? Read to find out! (Male!Yuki!Original Character x Itachi Uchiha)
1. Chapter 1

The world has always been such a cold place.

A place in which people who were different from others were either feared and shunned by others for daring to break the mold. Some were used as tools until the day they outgrew their use and were thrown away as a result. Then there were those of them who had never even been granted either of the previous two options. Those last unfortunate few were instead hunted down, persecuted simply for the fact that they were unlucky enough to be born into the world.

Perhaps the best example of this was none other than the Yuki clan.

They were called monsters, hated because of the Ice Release that lay active deep within their cursed blood. It did not take long for Kiyoshi Yuki to learn that the true monsters are the ones who do not have to hide. The very minute it was revealed that he had inherited the Ice Release that was so well known in the Yuki clan, he had been taught how to control and hide it within the safety of their home.

"Do not show anyone that you can do this. If you do, they will come for all of us. They will try to kill us."

The words of his father had resounded in his mind from the very first moment he had spoken them and so, Kiyoshi had taken his warning to heart. He chose to isolate himself, keeping away from all of the other village children in the hopes that they would stay away from him. He did not want to form any bonds only to end up facing the sting of knowing that those children would ultimately betray him if they ever found out that he was a Yuki.

Unfortunately, that only made him a target in the cruel eyes of the village children.

They had taken to following him, harassing him at every given chance they could. Pushing him around and even calling him names when he did not fight back out of fear that he might lose control and end up killing one of those children. Even so, it seemed as though fate truly had it out for him and his parents for one day those horrible children took their bullying too far and on one cold morning they cornered him, asking if it was true that he did not know how to swim.

When he did not answer, that was all of the response they needed to take action.

They had grabbed onto his clothing, dragging the trashing boy to the edge of the village's pond and pushing him towards the very edge of the water. The terrified boy had looked down into the water and met the wide, horrified eyes of his reflection as his heart raced beneath his chest. Before he had even realized what was happening, the air around the group of them chilled dangerously and the water in the lake froze completely before shooting up as sharp shards of ice shot towards the children, causing the boys to release him to avoid being pierced by the ice.

For the longest of moments, all he could do was stare at his petrified reflection as his mind and heart slowly began to settle long enough for him to form a coherent thought. Once he was finally calm, the realization of what he had just done immediately came crashing down on him and his gaze shot towards the other children, shrinking in on himself the moment that he saw the gazes of the others look at him with a mixture of terror and disgust.

"I knew that he was not normal but to think that he has been a monster all of this time!"

"My mom told me that only ninja with Kekkei Genkai can do things like that! We need to tell the adults immediately! They need to know so we can get rid of him!"

He could do nothing but watch as the children ran off, watching as their forms became smaller and smaller before they disappeared from his sight entirely and for a moment, his fear was forgotten as something much darker took root inside of the boy's heart.

Disgust.

Hatred.

To think that any person could have such little regard for other people's lives was something that absolutely disgusted him. Even so, he could do nothing other than return home as quickly as possible to let his parents know about what had happened. It would not be long before the villagers surrounded his home upon hearing the news and he needed to give his family as much as a headstart as possible so they could all get out of the village as quickly as possible.

* * *

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible, Hikari. Kiyoshi, start packing whatever you can fit into a traveling pack and do it quickly."

His father had wasted no time the moment Kiyoshi had informed him and his mother about what had happened, immediately grabbing some travel packs before handing one to his son. While he could tell that the man was stressed out, he had taken the news much better than he thought he would.

Which meant that he had been expecting something like this to happen.

Guilt ate away at the young boy as brown eyes lowered to the ground before the boy did as asked, shoving what little possessions he had into the pack before his gaze lifted to meet his mother's concerned gaze. Swallowing roughly, the boy held her gaze for as long as he could before the guilt became too much to bear and he forced himself to stare at the ground, body tensing as he heard her begin to speak.

He expected her to berate him, to yell at him for everything only to be surprised when the woman did none of those things.

"I know that we have to leave quickly, but we do need to have some sort of plan Tatsuya. We cannot just leave without a destination in mind and the fact that the Hidden Mist is at war with so many of the other villages puts us in a bad position. Kindness does not exist in this day and age, it would take a miracle for them to even accept Kiyoshi, never mind the two of us."

"We must take the chance. We cannot simply stay here and wait for the villagers to put an end to us. Let us leave this cursed land and make our way to the Land of Fire. While we may not be able to set foot in the Hidden Leaf, the Land of Fire is rich and bountiful. Perhaps a bright future can still be had, even if we must work as shinobi to make that happen."

Those browns fell upon the form of the young Kiyoshi, gaze softening as he took in the form of the boy that truly was a perfect blend of himself and his stunning wife.

"A bright future, free of lies. A warm place where Kiyoshi will never have to hide. That is the least we can gift to our precious son."

* * *

By some miracle, they managed to escape before the villagers managed to find them, his father setting fire to the hut where they lived to make it seem as though they had already met their end before the three of them slipped into the forest surrounding the village. The small family of three walked for hours on end, only stopping when they were far enough away from the village, in a town where his father was certain no one would recognize any of them.

It was there that they learned just how bad the war was getting.

The Hidden Mist had chosen to enter the war and apparently was fighting against the Hidden Leaf. The Hidden Mist had kidnapped a kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf. There were even whispers that one of the Anbu managed to kill one of the members from the Hyūga clan before taking their Byakugan for himself, which caused the tensions between the two villages and their nations to grow even more hostile.

Their hopes of seeking refuge in the Land of Fire seemed all but impossible at this point, though his father was still determined to make it happen.

"We have to at least try. The Land of Fire is the country that is the closest to us. If it turns out that we cannot live there permanently, we can at least use it as a means to cross into another."

His father was ever the optimist, tried to raise his mother's spirits as he tried to coax her into believing that everything would be alright only for the woman to simply sigh, brown eyes looking anywhere but her husband as she spoke.

"Either way, it seems as though our lives are in danger. If we stay here we will have to hide and always look over our shoulders. If we go somewhere else, we risk being executed on the spot the moment they find out that we are from the Land of Water. If only we could have been born normal, without this curse. If only Kiyoshi could have been born to other parents, he might have lived a better life."

Kiyoshi's lips formed into a frown as his hand moved to gently tug on his parent's clothing, immediately gaining their attention.

"I do not care if we have to run. I do not care if we never have a stable home. I am happy because you and father are my parents. As long as I can be with the two of you, I am happy."

He smiled warmly at his parents before gasping as he was hugged tightly by the man and woman.

"You are right Tatsuya. We have to at least try. This is no life for Kiyoshi to live. Even if we die trying, at least we can say that we did our best to give our son a better life. A chance at a brighter future that isn't soaked in blood. That is all I want for our beloved son. It does not matter where we live so long as we are together."

Little did she know, that their time together was soon going to come to a very tragic end.

* * *

Humans were cruel creatures.

A young Itachi could only look down in horror as the ninja from opposing nations fought each other to the death. The scent of blood tainted the air as the cries and groans of the dying were piercing through the air and it was all the Uchiha boy could do to not close his eyes. He could not understand why his father had chosen to bring him here, could not understand the lesson his father wanted him to learn.

All he could see was death.

The moment that the fighting finally ended, Itachi made his way down to the battlefield. His gaze fell upon the forms of the fallen and as dawn broke, the warmth of the sun chasing away the darkness of the night, he could not help but wish that the sun could also chase away the sorrow that he felt deep within his heart towards all of the fallen.

They were all people, so why did they have to fight and kill each other?

Why could they not try to understand each other so such conflicts could be avoided?

Itachi's gaze stared off into the distance as his hands formed into fists only for his thoughts to become disrupted when he heard a voice calling for water. Quickly the boy ran over to the injured ninja's side, ignoring the fact that he was an enemy ninja from the Hidden Stone village as he drew out his water canister, carefully helping the man to drink water as he looked for any other potential survivors.

Maybe he could help them as well.

It was a moment later that the man finally came to and much to Itachi's disappointment he immediately jumped up with his kunai drawn, his intent to kill clear. It was with a heavy heart that Itachi drew his own kunai and quickly cut the man's throat, gaze averted as the man collapsed, not wanting to watch as the man he had tried to save die.

"Father, why did this Shinobi try to kill me? I did not do anything." That gaze finally fell upon the dead man, sorrow filling those dark eyes as he waited patiently for an answer to explain the man's actions only to become even more confused when his father simply stated that he had tried to kill him simply because of the fact that they were in a war.

"War?"

"This is not a war between people any longer. It is a war between nations. That is why strangers kill each other without it meaning anything."

As if only to prove his point, seconds later the sounds of screaming broke out amongst the silence, something that made Itachi's blood run cold the moment he heard them.

Those screams belonged to a woman and were unlike anything he had heard before.

Upon looking at his father, he saw that the older man also seemed to be troubled by the sound of those screams and for a moment, he hoped that his father would decide to go and help whoever it was that was screaming only for his hopes to be dashed when his father closed his eyes and turned away.

"Let us go Itachi."

"B-But father-"

"There is nothing we can do. It might be a trap made by our enemies to try and lure us out. Even if it was not, we would get there too late to be of any help."

The way that his father spoke so matter-of-factly about the person who clearly needed help was enough to make the boy's skin crawl. While he understood his father's perspective, those screams had sounded far too desperate to be staged. The troubled boy looked back at the direction where the screams had come from, biting down on his lip in contemplation before turning to look as his expectant father.

Something was telling him that they needed to go and help the woman.

"Father, please. I do not think it is a trap. Please let us at least go and see. It could be someone who really needs our help. If we are too late, then we are too late but we might be able to save someone who really needs our help."

His father sighed once more, features becoming stern as he opened his mouth, obviously ready to scold him for wasting time before the scream interrupted him and once again his brow furrowed before he sighed.

"Very well Itachi. Stay behind me and stay close."

"Y-Yes."

It was moments later that they had left the rocky clearing, moving into a small forested area which left Itachi feeling uneasy, scared that perhaps his father had been right and they were actually being led into a trap. It was another agonizing moment later before they began hearing voices, voices that led them into a small clearing where a small stream of water ran through, though the thing that caught his eye was the bodies that lay at the feet of two Hidden Stone ninja and the small boy that sat a few feet away from them, gaze focused on the two bodies that Itachi immediately realized, had to have been his parents.

What was worse was the fact that they all seemed to be civilians, if the way their clothes looked was anything to go by.

Those ninjas had killed that child's parents in cold blood.

Disgust welled up in Itachi's chest as he took in the form of the crying boy, a boy who seemed to be only slightly older than he was. For a moment, he hoped that the ninjas would leave the child alone and the moment he saw them step towards the boy, horror welled up in his chest.

"We might as well put the brat out of his misery. He won't get far without his parents."

"It sucks that they didn't have anything worthwhile on them. It was a waste coming this way. Though the woman was a beauty, it's too bad that she was so loud. We had to kill her before we could have any fun with her."

The second ninja scoffed as he walked towards the boy, who finally seemed to snap out of his daze as that dull brown gaze slowly lifted, eyes holding a mixture of emotions that seemed so out of place for a child.

Then something happened that Itachi nor his father could have ever seen coming.

He saw his father reach for his ninja tools, getting ready to pull them out to prevent the ninjas from killing the boy before pausing a moment later when the air around them became significantly colder. Brow furrowed, Itachi watched as the boy stood on shaky legs, taking a few steps back as he edged closer himself to the water, something that made the Hidden Stone ninjas laugh.

"Now, Now. Don't try to run. We will catch you before you take even a couple of steps. We are doing you a favor here. You will die out here. So just come here and let us put you out of your-"

The ninjas made the fatal mistake of moving closer to the boy, kunai raised and ready to strike when the boy quickly dropped down as the water rose, forming two sharp shards of ice that impaled the two ninjas before they could even react.

He had never seen anything like that before.

Itachi watched with a wide look in his eyes as the boy slowly rose, fixing the two ninja that had tried to kill him with a blank stare as he watched them die before shakily moving over to the two corpses that were once his parents and as the boy dropped down beside them, he felt his heart begin to ache, especially as he watched the boy's shoulders shake as he sat next to his parents.

There was something in that boy that called to him.

"Father-"

Itachi began, gaze leaving the boy only to fall silent as he saw the thoughtful look in his father's eyes as he stared at the boy, and while he was happy that his father seemed interested in him, there was something about the very way he was looking at him that bothered Itachi.

It was as if he was looking at a prized animal instead of a boy that had just lost his parents to the horrors of war.

Nevertheless, it was a moment later that his father seemed to reach a decision, motioning for Itachi to stay behind him as he stepped out into plain sight. Itachi's gaze remained locked on the form of the boy as he followed his father, watching as the boy's gaze slowly lifted to fall upon his father before finally falling upon his own.

It was as if the whole world shifted the moment they locked eyes with each other.

* * *

They should have stayed in the Land of Water.

The moment he had seen the ninja approach their makeshift camp, something within him had known that they were not going to make it out of this encounter alive. He had seen the cruelty in their eyes, had seen the twisted smirks that decorated those faces the very moment they promised to let them live if they just handed over their supplies and yet, like a fool he remained silent as he hoped against hope that his instincts were wrong as his father wordlessly gave them every single thing they owned.

Then he watched the man slit his father's throat.

He sat on the ground numb as the scent of iron filled the air, watched as his father clawed at his throat as he choked on his own blood. He watched as he fixed his family with a desperate look, even as he choked on his own blood before falling down on the ground. He had listened to his mother's screams for her dying husband before feeling himself get roughly tugged behind her as she screamed and pleaded for the ninjas to spare his life.

Even when faced with death, she had cared nothing for her own life.

Only his.

The only thing he could do for her in return was watch as the men advanced on her, frozen to the spot in absolute terror as they cornered her. Her screams as she attempted to fight the men off resonated within his mind and as he stood on shaking legs, determined to do what he could to try and help her, he met her gaze and immediately froze once again as he met her eyes. He watched as those lips moved, silently mouthing to him her final message before the monsters stole her away from him as well.

"Don't. You must live on. Survive and have the kind of life we wanted for you."

She wanted him to live.

As the men closed in on him, determined to murder him in the same way they had his parents, his gaze remained locked on their corpses. Standing on shaking legs once again, he managed to take a few steps back as both fear and adrenaline coursed through his very being. Disgust ran through him as he heard the way the men spoke about his mother and as he backed up, he knew that he only had once chance at making this work.

He knew he would meet his death as he messed up.

Yet, even as the temperature dropped around the three of them, to his luck, the men remained oblivious. They were like oblivious animals who succumbed to bloodlust in Kiyoshi's eyes and yet, this would be the one thing that worked out in his favor. Quickly, the boy dropped down as the ice pierced through the two ninjas, impaling them to the point where he knew for a fact they were going to die and yet, all he could do was watch as they suffered, slowly bleeding out as the ice stole their lives away as retribution for taking his parents away from him.

As they fell still, his gaze returned to his parents and it all came crashing down once again.

Slowly he returned to their sides, a shaking hand moving to gently coax their unseeing eyes closed and after a moment of simply staring at their bodies, the emotions he had been bottling up hit him all at once. Feeling as though his heart was going to explode beneath his chest as well as feeling as though all of the warmth had been stolen away from him, he lowered his face to rest in between his knees, body shaking violently as tears came to his eyes.

All he could think about was his mother's screams.

The desperate look his father had given them.

His mother telling him to live on.

A soft gasp was torn from him as the tears fell freely, choked sobs leaving him as he realized that everything had happened because he had been unable to control his ice release properly. If he been able to control it just a bit better, they could have stayed in the Land of Water.

His parents had died because of him.

His thoughts slowly became darker and darker, to the point where the boy could no longer hear his surroundings over the rampant taunting of his own mind. It was only when he felt the weight of a gaze on him that he finally looked up only to meet the dark gaze of an adult who wore the ninja garb of a different village than the ninja who had murdered his parents. Even so, the only thing he could do was stare at the unfamiliar man for a long moment before his gaze turned to fall upon his companion, a single boy who looked to be only slightly younger than he was.

"Are you here to kill me?"

"No. I see no point in killing a child who very clearly poses no threat."

The man spoke coldly, dark eyes remaining focused on Kiyoshi even as the boy's gaze lowered once again, curling in on himself before those eyes closed for a long moment as the boy tried his hardest to think of a response, only to fall silent when the man spoke again.

"Even so, I cannot help but wonder. Your parents were civilians. How were you able to do such a thing if they were not ninja?"

Kiyoshi's gaze slowly opened the moment he heard the question, all of the previous warnings his parents had given him about keeping his Kekkei Genkai a secret coming to the front of his mind at that moment as he swallowed roughly, gaze warily focusing on the ninja that he did not know as he carefully weighed out his options.

The worst outcome would result in his death and him being reunited with his parents, while the best would be the ninja taking pity on him and taking him away from this battlefield.

At this point, the child had nothing left to lose.

"My parents were not ordinary civilians. They came from the Yuki clan who has the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. Where we come from, having such a thing is enough to get someone killed, so they kept it a secret. W-We left our home to try and find a better life here."

Only to have it blow up in their faces when the first people they happened to come across in the Land of Fire were two bloodthirsty Hidden Stone ninja.

The man seemed to absorb the information readily, eyes closing as he seemed to be thinking long and hard about something before those eyes slowly opened and he fixed the boy with a calculating gaze.

"We are in the middle of the war. A child like you will not make it long out here. Not alone and especially not without any training. Even with an ability like yours, it will not be long before another strikes you down, either out of pity or out of desperation."

The man warned as those dark eyes remained locked on the child who did not even flinch at his words. Instead, the boy's eyes fell to the bodies of his parents once more before that gaze slowly hardened.

"If you are going to kill me, please just do it. You are a ninja, I can tell by your outfit."

"I am indeed a ninja, but as I said before, I am not going to kill you."

That was enough to capture the boy's attention as that gaze rose, meeting the calm look of the man who seemed to be studying him a little too closely for him to be completely comfortable with.

"You will be coming with me. There is nothing left for you here but death. Come with me to the Hidden Leaf. There you will become a ninja and if you work hard and prove yourself useful to me, that better life that you and your family once dreamt of will come to you in time."

So his choices were either to die or become a tool for another village then?

For a long moment, all Kiyoshi could do was simply think about the offer that the man gave to him. While he knew that the man could easily take him by force if that was what he desired, he also knew that there was some sort of reason why the man was asking him to come with him instead of forcing him, even if he did not know what that reason was.

Then there was the fact that he would be going against his father's wishes for him.

He had stated that he wanted a bright future for him, one that was free of bloodshed and violence. To be accepting this man's demands would be spitting in the face of everything his father and mother had wanted for him, simply to survive.

What would his parents want?

As if sensing his hesitance, this time the child that had come with the man stepped forward, those black eyes sincere as the boy spoke softly.

"Please come with us. The Hidden Leaf village is nothing like this place and it sounds nothing like the place you came from either. It's much better than here and even as a ninja, I am sure you will be happy there."

The boy, even though he was a complete stranger to him, seemed so eager for him to go with the two of them.

It was strange to think that a perfect stranger would want to spare him when two of them had just murdered his parents only moments before.

"Please come with us. I don't want you to end up like them. Like all of the others."

The boy's words resounded in his head, momentarily drowning out the screams of his mother and the self-loathing taunts in the back of his mind and as that boy held his hand out, black eyes all but pleading for him to take his hand and come with him, his resolve weakened before all but shattering into pieces.

This boy was sincere.

Even if the man with him only saw him as a tool to serve his village or clan, there was something in him that the other child genuinely thought was worth saving.

Even if he couldn't see it himself.

As his hand reached out and took the hand of the other boy, he found that the trembling ceased and for a moment as he stared into those dark eyes, he felt a sort of kinship with the boy that he had never felt with another living creature before in his entire life.

This boy was different.

Whether it was a good or bad different was to be determined.

* * *

**So chapter one of this story is finally out! I'm sorry it was so long but I felt as though there was a lot to get out of the way this time around, so the length was somewhat necessary, I'm afraid.**

**So as for why Kiyoshi is the way he is as of right now, I could be completely wrong but I am under the impression that children from the Hidden Mist and the Land of Water had to grow up pretty fast as a result of the conditions they were exposed to in their childhoods, especially those of whom were born in a clan such as the Yuki children. So I hope that explains why Kiyoshi seems a little more like a mini adult versus actually acting his age (he's about six or seven here). There are a few more things about the Land of Water that I've come to assume (since we really weren't given too much to go off of in either the anime or the manga other than the fact that it was very corrupt under the Fourth Mizukage's rule), things that I will incorporate into later chapters.**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter and are excited to set out on the newest journey I have planned.**

**Until next time!**

**~ Xayden**


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is what things had come to in the end?

Brown eyes fell upon the group of adults surrounding him with a look of absolute indifference as they murmured silently amongst themselves, trying to agree about what to do with the young orphan from the Water country. It was a time of war, and even if he was just a child, the fact that he was from the Land of Water was not easy to overlook. The Hidden Mist had already claimed the life of a beloved kunoichi after all. They had even managed to steal the Byakugan from a fallen member of the Hyūga clan, something that they were determined to hold against him.

"They could be a spy." The cold voice of an elder with bandages that covered almost his entire body filled the air as Kiyoshi sat in his chair, his calm brown eyes staring blankly ahead. He listened to one of the men who were responsible for deciding his fate as he spoke of him so coldly, like a pest that he couldn't wait to exterminate.

"It is a foolish idea to take a child in during a time like this. Uchiha-san should have put the child out of their misery on the battlefield. They will never be welcome here in this village as far as I am concerned. Their very presence is a threat to our village."

Kiyoshi tried his hardest not to take his words personally. He wanted to see his argument from the perspective of a village elder, noting that this was an elder whose village had already lost a valued kunoichi. Even so, despite his attempts at maturity, in the end, Kiyoshi was still only a child.

A child who had just lost the only family he had ever known.

Even so, he could not stop the dark feeling that welled up within his chest, the strange feeling of bitterness welling up in his chest. Dark and bitter, just like the tea his father had once enjoyed with his morning meal before a long day of work.

He decided that he did not like the man with the bandages very much.

He didn't like the way he made him feel.

* * *

"They are just a child. We need to remember the report that Fugaku-san gave to us and assess the situation calmly." A woman with gray hair and squinty eyes spoke in a cold, collected voice as her gaze fell upon him, studying him as though he were an animal before speaking again.

"Fugaku informed us that he found this child after the death of their parents, who were slaughtered by the shinobi of the Hidden Stone. He also told us that this child has an ability that was able to kill two shinobi without any assistance. While I understand your hesitation, Danzo, if what Fugaku said was true, it would be foolish to turn away a child who can use such an ability to serve our village."

Kiyoshi's gaze fell to the ground as he heard the woman's words, jaw clenching as he mulled over what could happen to him. It seemed as though they were wary of him despite the woman's words. There was a good chance that despite his Kekkei Genkai, he'd be sent away from the one place where he could potentially survive this horrible war.

Unless.

"I do not mean to interrupt you, but I can prove that I am not a spy." He countered quietly, brown eyes lifting from the ground to meet the gazes of the four council members, two of whom had remained quiet up until this point. His nerves flared up, an unpleasant constricting feeling welling up inside of his chest as he gathered his courage before speaking again.

"I am sure that you already know this, but the Land of Water is unstable. People go hungry, and at least where I lived, the people are poor. My country has many civil wars as a result of this. People like me, we are despised in the Land of Water. Due to the wars, people with Kekkei Genkai, we are seen as symbols of war and death. Clans with Kekkei Genkai are forced into hiding to survive because there are purges and genocides against people like us. If I were to return home, there is a good chance that I will die if they were to find out about me." In response to his information, Kiyoshi was greeted with a silence that made him feel incredibly anxious.

If he could not sway their hearts even with the truth regarding his situation, then there was no hope for him. His little fists gripped tightly onto the material of his pants, teeth clenching as his jaw lowered, despair filling the boy's heart. His mind raced as he tried to come up with any other potential argument he could make in his defense, only to fall silent when he could come up with nothing of any value.

The thought that his parents had sacrificed their lives only to prolong the inevitable was enough to make him wish that they would put him out of his misery right then and there.

If they were going to send him to his death, why not show mercy, and kill him where he sat?

"Would the rest of you mind giving us a moment alone?" A kind voice suddenly filled the air just as the boy had given up any hope of being allowed to remain in the village. Slowly, his gaze lifted and fell upon the form of the man who sat dressed in white and red robes. He seemed kind, smiling warmly at Kiyoshi as he patiently waited for the other members of the council to leave the room before speaking the very minute they were finally alone.

"You will have to forgive them. It is a trying time for everyone, as I'm sure you've heard. Trust is not something that comes easily these days, even when it comes to someone as young as yourself." Hiruzen spoke softly, gifting the boy a small, tired smile before he'd sigh softly.

"Which brings us to the prospect of your potential residence within the village. I have heard from both yourself and Fugaku Uchiha that you have a Kekkei Genkai? Do you mind showing me just what it is you can do? I would very much like to see it if that is alright with you?" The man spoke kindly, calmly, and yet, even Kiyoshi knew that beneath that kind facade, he was assessing him, trying to find out if he was worth the trouble of keeping.

Very well, then.

Remembering everything his father had ever taught him about his Kekkei Genkai, he'd focus on the cup of water that sat on the Hokage's desk. Slowly, he'd extend his hand, watching as the water floated up from the cup before slowly floating over to his hands where he'd cup the water gently. Pouring his chakra into it, he'd force the water to change shape, before finally freezing the water into ice. He'd manipulate the ice carefully, causing spikes to form from the small ball of ice before he'd allow it to return to the liquid state, returning it into the Hokage's cup. He'd swallow roughly, feeling those eyes on him the entire time before speaking.

"I've been able to make spikes form from large bodies of water as well, but I've only been able to do that when my life has been in danger. So far, I can only do small things like that otherwise." He'd admit softly, eyes lowering to the ground once again, ready to hear the Hokage state that he was expecting more.

"How old are you?"

"S-Six, sir."

"Have you had any training as a ninja from your previous homeland? I know that you said you were forced to hide your abilities, but surely you were taught something?"

"My parents were not ninja, sir. They were civilians that were born from members of the Yuuki clan. The only training they received was to help them control their Kekkei Genkai as a child so we could better hide, the same that they taught me." The man seemed surprised by this information, sitting thoughtfully in silence for a few moments as those dark eyes observed him in a way that nearly made his skin crawl

He was kind, but his gaze was the same as the others.

Watching him.

Studying him.

As if he were some animal on display, rather than a human being.

"It is incredible to hear that you are so young, and yet, despite having very little training, you are capable of performing such a task. Usually, manipulating water in such a way would require a skill very few people your age would have. Never mind the fact that you can also manipulate the ice, that is something I have never seen before. It's incredible!" The man's praise made Kiyoshi's cheeks darken slightly, a strange feeling washing over him. It was the first time he could ever remember being praised for having such a skill. It was the first time he was told that his Kekkei Genkai was something more than just a curse that could end his life if the wrong person found out about it.

Even if he was sure that the man with the robes was just trying to make him feel more at ease, it still felt...nice.

"I can only imagine how you will perform if you receive the proper training. Tell me, little one. If you were allowed to remain here, would you promise me something?" Kiyoshi's body tensed up slightly, those brown eyes narrowing in suspicion as his guard immediately rose. He could remember the words of his father, who had once told him that if something seemed too good to be true, then more than likely it was. Still, he knew that he was in no position to deny any request the man in front of him wanted to make.

Not if he wanted to stay.

* * *

Hiruzen waited patiently for Kiyoshi to give him his answer, smile widening when the child finally gave him a small nod of their head. It was easy for him to see that the child wasn't quick to trust. The way they had observed him and the rest of his council spoke of maturity that someone their age should not have had. There was a look in their eyes that someone their age should not have had. To make matters worse, he was unsure about whether this look was born from having just witnessed the murder of their parents or if this was a look they had always had.

He'd have to watch this child very carefully, it seemed.

Their ability to manipulate ice and water, even if it was due to a Kekkei Genkai, was advanced for someone their age. If they could do that with no training, there was no denying that with proper training, the child could very well turn out to be a talented ninja. They were going to be encouraged to train and hone that talent of theirs, and in turn, the Hidden Leaf would receive a ninja with a foreign bloodline limit to add to their ranks.

He just had to ensure that the child felt welcome, safe, and happy in the village to limit the chance that the kid might defect once they became of age, and for once, it seemed as though luck might be on his side. Before they had taken the child away, as it turned out, Fugaku had made a request. He requested that the child be allowed to stay with the Uchiha, rather than being sent to the orphanage. He claimed that Itachi Uchiha was the reason for the request, stating that the child had become attached to the young Yuki child in the time it had taken them to return to the village.

While he was sure there was some truth to the reasoning he was given, he was not a fool.

It was clear that Fugaku wished for the child's bloodline and loyalty to belong to the Uchiha.

If that's how things had to be, so be it.

"In exchange for us allowing you to live here, all that I ask is that once you become a ninja, you use your power for the sake of protecting our village and the people that live within it." Kiyoshi seemed surprised by his request, those wide brown eyes looking up at him with a look of confusion. It was something that caused a sort of fondness to rise within his chest. The child was foreign, with delicate features that were not from Konoha, and yet, those eyes reminded him of his beloved village.

They reminded him of everything he loved, everything he wished to protect.

"You see, the village is like a large family. Everyone here loves, fights to protect, believes in, and cherishes each other, as well as the Hidden Leaf. This belief is what gives us the strength to fight, even when the odds are not in our favor. I hope that one day, even if you were not born here that you will inherit the Will of Fire that burns so brightly within everyone that dwells here. I hope that you will come to love this village, along with the people that live here just as much as I do." He smiled upon seeing the understanding that dawned within those eyes, gaze softening as he saw the hope return to the child who had believed that he'd send them away.

"I-I promise. I-I'll do whatever it takes to protect the village."

He didn't doubt them for a moment.

That smile on his lips remained long after he was left alone, the child having long since been escorted to the Uchiha compound by his guard. As he gazed outside of his office window, small puffs of smoke escaping from his pipe, he'd think of that child, and his smile only grew.

If he was an example of what he could expect to come from the world's youth, perhaps there was hope for the future after all.

* * *

The Hidden Leaf was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

To see so many buildings and stalls.

To smell the many different foods that cooked as he passed by each restaurant. To see the immaculate condition of each building when he had only ever seen rundown homes in the small countryside village where he had spent his life. To say everything was overwhelming to the young boy was perhaps one of the biggest understatements he could have ever made. He watched as children played together, laughing carelessly in a way that almost reminded him of the children of his home village.

Like them, these children didn't have to hide anything from each other.

They knew nothing of what it meant to have to hide a part of who you were away from everyone.

There was something that rose within his chest at that thought, something dark and bitter, that reminded him of how he had felt around the man with bandages, and he'd quickly smother that feeling, locking it away within his chest. He had just promised the kind man that wore the white and red robes that he'd act in the best interest of the village, that he'd love and protect the villagers to the best of his ability.

That dark and bitter feeling had no place here.

Before long, he found himself standing at the gate to the Uchiha estate with his guard, greeting none other than Fugaku Uchiha. While the guard filled in Fugaku about the Hokage's decision regarding him, his gaze was drawn inside of the gate, eyes widening when he saw just how many houses were inside. The fact that a single clan owned so much was something almost unbelievable. He'd continue to try and peer inside of the compound, only to realize that the adults had stopped speaking to each other, his gaze lifting to see Fugaku staring down at him with an unreadable expression in his eyes, the guard having long since left them alone.

Immediately his cheeks darkened in embarrassment as he bowed quickly, his back staying lowered until he heard him move away from him.

"Come, before you get left behind. My wife and son are expecting us." He'd move quickly upon hearing his words, scared that the man truly might leave him behind if he took too long, the boy's short legs practically forcing him to run to keep pace with Fugaku's long, quick strides. They walked on in silence for a long while, Kiyoshi's nerves flaring up when the man did not even look at him a single time.

He knew the Uchiha man wanted his bloodline limit, even so, he wondered if he wanted it badly enough to endure having a stranger live within his home.

He supposed that only time would tell.

Before long, he found himself standing in front of a beautiful home. Wide eyes took in the details of the home, unable to believe that such a beautiful home only housed one small family. Yet as Fugaku opened the door, he'd slowly and sheepishly trail after him, removing his shoes and gently setting them off to the side as he mirrored Fugaku's actions, remaining silent as he called out to his family.

"I am home!"

"Welcome home darling." A woman immediately trailed into the room, and immediately Kiyoshi was taken aback with how different the woman seemed to in comparison with her husband. She had long, beautiful dark hair and warm black eyes. Then her attention focused on him, and for a moment, he felt almost unnerved. There was something within those eyes, something that put him at ease even as she studied him. Then that dark gaze softened, and a warm smile slowly crossed her lips as she moved closer to him.

"Oh, you poor thing! When Fugaku told me about you, he didn't mention how tiny and thin you were!" She cooed softly, something that surprised him as she kneeled to ensure that she was eye-level with him. As her hand rose, he'd flinch back slightly, body tensing as her hand ran through his chin-length brown hair before she spoke once again.

"Your hair is so pretty as well." That statement caused him to blink in confusion, the boy tilting his head slightly to the side before she'd speak once again, explaining herself.

"It's not too often we see any color other than black in the Uchiha family. It's nice to have someone with a different color and your hair is so straight, I'm sure it will be lovely once it grows longer. I can't wait to see all of the cute things I can do with it once it grows long!" Kiyoshi blinked once again, brow furrowing slightly as he tried to figure out just what the woman was implying, and upon seeing his confusion, she'd laugh softly.

"What I'm trying to say is that it's going to be so nice having another girl in the house! I only have Fugaku and Itachi. While I love them both dearly, it's not the same as having another girl!"

Wait, what?

His cheeks darkened immediately upon hearing that the woman believed him to be a girl and as his gaze lifted to fall upon Fugaku, he'd find the man looking a bit uncomfortable as he pointedly looked away from him.

Wait, did he think he was a girl too?!

Did everyone in this village think that he was a girl?!

He'd think back frantically, trying to recall if anyone had addressed him as a boy throughout the whole talk they had had earlier. His heart dropped within his chest when he realized that they had referred to him using gender-neutral terms the entire time, and while it wasn't as bad as being called a girl, it was still embarrassing that they couldn't tell what he was.

His mind raced as he tried to think of a polite way to inform the woman that he was, in fact, a boy only to come up with absolutely nothing. For a moment, he felt as though he was going to have to live with being treated like a girl the entire time he lived there, only for a familiar voice to cut in.

"Okaa-san?" He'd turn to see the source of the voice only to meet those same black eyes that had been there to save him during the war, and once again, it was as if the world shifted the moment he met those eyes.

They were so dark.

They were easily the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen before, the same shade as the night sky, and yet, he shared the warmth of his gaze with the woman that he now knew was his mother.

That said, there was something about the boy that made him feel more at ease than he had before his arrival. He'd gift the boy a small, timid attempt at a smile only to relax when his smile was gently returned. Those dark eyes seemed almost amused at the situation he had found Kiyoshi in before he turned his attention back to his mother, who was grinning all too brightly upon seeing the interaction between the two children.

"You do know that he is a boy, right?"

Suddenly he liked him much more than he had before.

He'd look up to see the stunned expression on the mother's face before chancing a glance at Fugaku. It quickly became apparent that even he did not seem to expect that information, though, he recovered much faster than his wife, turning away like the revelation of his gender did not interest him the slightest bit. Smiling, he'd turn his attention back to the stunned mother before bowing towards her in an attempt to show his respect.

"I apologize if either of you were hoping for a girl. My name is Kiyoshi Yuki, and your son was right. I am, in fact, a boy." Those dark eyes seemed to study him once again before a sweet, warm smile crossed her lips once again, though this time there was something about her smile that sent chills down his spine.

"I am so sorry for assuming that you were a girl. You are just so pretty, your features are just like a doll. You see...I've always wanted a little girl in this house and even if you are a boy, I think you'd be just so pretty with long hair."

Oh no.

"You'll indulge me, won't you?"

"A-Ah..I-I..."

"Oh, I knew that you'd agree! You're such a sweet child. I have a feeling that we will get along very well, you and I."

Oh dear god, what had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about the long wait for this chapter! Things have been crazy lately. I'll try my hardest to try updating more often! Thank you so much for your patience, I appreciate all of you that have waited so calmly for me to update! I hope it was worth it, even though Itachi didn't make that big of an appearance in this chapter.


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